Yes, but now that home assistant is matter certified, maybe we’ll see more take up. Not to mention Sonos getting railed for messing up their app. Make it open and people can choose the app to use.

There is no need to connect appliances to the net, but there are benefits. Similarly, with a home network.

It’s a pity we don’t have existing regulations to require features to work without an account and to make removal of features a reason for a refund. Servers cost money but I don’t need the manufacturer to have a server of it’s open from the start.